Chapter Fifteen #2
Daniyal snorted. “That was just his dad in a costume, and I bet he enjoyed those cookies, too. We’re Muslim; we don’t believe in Santa Claus.”
The children started to bicker, and Esa, with a mischievous grin at Calvin, waded into the discussion. “You believe in jinn, though, right?” he asked, and the children nodded eagerly. Sameera shot her brother a warning look, which he ignored.
“What’s a jinn?” Barb asked. She had placed two tall glasses of milk at both Rob’s and Naveed’s place settings for when the men returned with the air of someone resigned to such impulsive actions.
“Jinn are the Unseen, beings made of smokeless fire,” Sameera explained. “They are a part of Muslim mythology. Muslim believe jinn live in our world, but we can’t see them. They have their own civilization and culture, and mostly stay away from humans.”
“Except when humans bother them, or if they’re mischievous and want to cause trouble,” Tahsin added. “There are stories of jinn possessing humans, helping them, sometimes even falling in love and marrying them. They can be good or bad, just like people.”
“Have you ever met one?” Tom asked, eyes twinkling at Sameera.
“They’re mostly stories told to scare kids,” Sameera said.
“Jinn are real,” Esa insisted. Next to him, Abu Isra’s kids nodded in agreement. Every Muslim child was taught about the Unseen as part of their faith, deliciously creepy stories about the beings playing tricks on humans, or humans trying to get the better of jinn, shared like ghost stories.
“My dad said he used to see lots of jinn in Syria,” Daniyal offered. “There were a few who even attended his mosque.”
“It’s true,” Abu Isra said. “My father was friends with a jinni when he was younger—at least, that’s what he told me.”
“There’s a jinni living in this house, too,” Esa said solemnly.
Around him, the children’s eyes grew wide.
Sameera watched her brother’s masterful performance with amusement and a growing realization.
Esa was so different from the rest of her family, from her.
He was a fun, playful young man, always willing to be silly and do anything for a laugh.
She wondered if sometimes he felt as if he didn’t fit into their mostly serious, mostly professional and academic-focused family.
She felt another pang at all the years she had missed watching him grow up, and she resolved to try even harder to make up for lost time.
“I don’t believe you. Where is the jinn?” Isra demanded. She was clearly skeptical.
“We don’t have any of those things in our house; don’t worry, kids,” Rob said, retaking his seat beside Naveed.
His voice was hoarse from the hot sauce standoff, but he and Naveed had clearly trauma-bonded over their ordeal.
Both Rob and her father drained their milk, Sameera noted.
“If there were, I’d get rid of it right quick, little lady,” he assured Isra.
“This is a big house. An old house. And you know how much jinn love a nice dark forest, not to mention moving water, both of which surround Cooke Place,” Esa improvised.
“Esa,” Tahsin warned, but he ignored her.
“It’s true,” Calvin added. “Sometimes, late at night, I’ll hear people talking in a language I’ve never heard before.”
Wide-eyed, the children were starting to get scared. “Where do the jinn stay?” Daniyal asked.
“When it’s cold outside, they like to find a nice warm, cozy little nook,” Esa said. “Like a little shelf, where they can watch us, especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas.”
“You can tell it’s a jinni if it’s dressed in striped pants and a pointy hat,” Calvin added. “And it moves around the house, so you never know where it will turn up next. It likes to spy on little kids, in particular.”
Sameera’s parents looked confused, while Tom shook his head in amusement. “Are you talking about the Elf on a Shelf?” He tried to reassure the children. “That’s a holiday toy.”
“That’s what they think,” Esa said to Isra, indicating Tom and the rest of the Cooke family. “But we know better, don’t we?”
Isra nodded, eyes wide.
“Just watch out for the jinn,” Esa said, right as Tahsin, who had had enough of her son’s shenanigans, put him and Calvin to work clearing the table.
“He’s only kidding,” Sameera assured Abu Isra’s children, but she wasn’t sure they believed her. She wondered if her parents were regretting their impromptu dinner party. Maybe they would think twice next time before issuing a hasty invitation, or perhaps even listen to her.
“Never a dull moment with the Malik family,” Tom whispered beside her.
Esa and Cal set up dessert in the large sitting room.
While the young men distributed plates and cutlery and arranged the fruit, kunafe, and baklava, joking and laughing like old friends, the rest of the dinner party claimed chairs and sofas.
Sameera settled on a love seat, Tom beside her, and his warmth and smell instantly invaded her senses; it felt so familiar to her now, after only a few days.
She realized she was leaning over to smell him, and forced herself to stop.
Which was when Isra jumped out of her chair, screaming and pointing at the bookshelf. “Jiiiiiinnnnnn!” she yelled, backing away.
The other children leaped to their feet and started screaming, too, until Esa heroically lunged at the bookshelf and grabbed the Elf on a Shelf, dressed in the usual striped pants and pointy hat, just as Cal had described at the dining table.
“I told you to leave my friends alone!” Esa yelled at the toy. “They’re well behaved all year around.” He leaned in close, pretending to listen to what the toy said. “You’re not sure about the little one?” He turned to three-year-old Ikhlas, his expression severe. “Do you promise to behave?”
Ikhlas nodded, eyes wide, before reaching for the toy. Esa held it away with a severe shake of his head.
“Okay, me and my little friend are going to take a little walk. I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you again, okay?” Esa left the sitting room to applause from the kids, who were now convinced he was their hero.
Beside her on the couch, Tom was laughing into his hand. He leaned over to whisper, “Your brother is hilarious. If he wanted, he could rule the internet.”
A warm feeling suffused her. Esa had turned what might have been an awkward and dull dinner into a fun time, and had succeeded in charming everyone in the room.
Tom was right—her brother had a gift, and she was proud of him for throwing himself wholeheartedly into whatever he did.
A lot of that new confidence was due to Tom.
Tom had been so kind to her, to her family and Esa.
He had encouraged her brother to run after his passion, and had helped him grow his audience using his own channel.
Tom had also cheered her up twice today, first at the bakery and then at the guesthouse.
It was growing more and more difficult to ignore her feelings for him.
She gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Who wants more kunafe?” she asked brightly, and started refilling everyone’s plates.